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Business Development Manager

What is your current role here at Platts? What is essential about your work to customers and/or the markets?

I currently occupy a dual role of Team Leader and Business Development Manager (BDM) on the North American Sales team. Platts’ services are valuable to various business types that are concerned with accuracy in news, price reporting, analytics and consulting in the commodities space. Banks, consulting firms, utility companies, exploration & production companies and hedge funds are among our clientele. As a BDM, you bring Platts services to the market and orchestrate the entire process toward executed contracts as well as maintaining and growing the business thereafter.

Why did you choose to work for at Platts?

The future of S&P Global looks extremely promising. Platts’ leadership demonstrates a clear vision for how the company will expand further into complementary analytical products and varied commodity coverage. It’s easy to see a career path worth pursuing. The energy commodity space is extremely relevant because it’s a subject that people and nations around the world care about.

How would you describe the corporate culture at S&P Global overall and in your specific business unit?

The corporate culture leans towards conservative. The people are smart, and calculated strategies execute clearly defined company goals. Working at Platts feels like being in a small company with big company ideas. In my opinion, there’s no better atmosphere than this for Platts. Change has also been a major component of the corporate culture at Platts, because it has grown rapidly by acquisition in recent years.

What is a typical day for you here?

Fast-paced, challenging and rewarding. There is pressure to perform at a high level to stay on top of the markets we cover, understand the businesses we serve, and exceed sales goals all while maintaining lasting relationships with customers and colleagues alike.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

Two things come to mind: 1) Contract negotiations and 2) Being able to provide value-add services across globally relevant commodities to a multitude of customer types.

What is a memorable moment from a project you worked on?

I’ve been involved in integrating the sales force from a newly acquired Platts company. The challenge is to find the best approach to bring together different selling styles and degrees of market knowledge to not only maximize sales, but also to ensure a smooth transition toward maintaining high team morale. It is an exercise in work culture balancing. You quickly learn that merging teams and systems has more angles than meet the eye.

What are some of the things you enjoy most outside of work?

When I’m not at work, I enjoy spending time with my wife, son and two Yorkshire terriers, as well as entertaining family and friends at our house near the beach. I like to start my day with a morning run and reading the news.